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Britain’s Got Talent viewers have taken aim at Simon Cowell after he was ‘rude’ to host Declan Donnelly.
On Saturday night the first live semi-final of this year’s season aired, with Anastasiia and Salsa and Matty Juniosa becoming the first acts to reach the final.
Also in the running was dance group Celtic Beat, comedian and rapper Christy Coysh, magician Fraser Penman, drummer Nancy Tilley, aerial performer Paul Nunnari and acrobatic quartet The Rafikiz.
While many who tuned in were amazed at the range of acts they saw hit the stage, some were left unimpressed by an interaction between long-time judge Simon and one half of the hosting duo.
After Fraser’s performance, the judges were giving their feedback when Dec tried to wrap things up to move the show along.
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‘Thank you judges, thank you very much,’ he said, however Simon pushed back.
‘I’m still talking!,’ he declared, with Dec looking shocked by the reprimand.
Although Simon had been pointing out he wanted to finish what he’d been saying, those watching were left unimpressed.
‘Who does Simon Cowell think he’s talking to?! Snapping “I’m still talking” to Ant and Dec. He needs to know that 90+% of the viewers only tune in because THEY present it!’ TheWomanHolmes posted on X.
‘Wow Simon Cowell is a little rude I’m still talking,’ Jo shared.
‘Simon Cowell being rude to Dec. Don’t you think they’ve been through enough on live telly this weekend. He was trying to keep your show on time,’ Rachel wrote.
‘”I’m still talking” Simon. I think Ant and Dec have had enough attitude for this weekend,’ Paige added.
The last comment was referring to Ant and Dec having their work cut out for them when hosting the final of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
After weeks of drama on the All Star series, things came to head when David Haye and Jimmy Bullard lashed out at winner Adam Thomas after simmering tensions while they were in camp.
While fellow campmate Gemma Collins called their behaviour ‘disgusting’, Jimmy called out Adam following a foul-mouthed argument which saw him dropping ‘f-bombs and c-bombs’.
In a statement to Metro, ITV said it ‘showed an accurate and fair representation of events’, while Ant later confirmed that some of the language was ‘un-broadcastable.’
The hosts mentioned the drama while hosting BGT on Saturday night, with Ant declaring ‘I just love live telly, me!’ ‘Nothing better!’, Dec chimed in.
The pair then headed down to the judges’ table, where they issued a stern warning to Simon and his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI in the hopes of avoiding a repeat of last night’s shenanigans.
‘Now, judges, I wanna clear something up here. Let’s be serious for a second,’ Ant began.
‘We had quite enough drama on the telly last night,’ he quipped, leading to laughs from the audience and Amanda noting, ‘Yeah, you did!’
‘So, can you please, you four, be on your best behaviour tonight?’, Ant pleaded.
Simon then admitted that the panel could be ‘very, very naughty’, to which Dec agreed.
‘If you misbehave, you’ll be out quicker than Sinitta,’ he added in reference to how the So Macho pop star stormed off when the row between Jimmy and Adam escalated, wanting no part of the antics.
However, Amanda also took her chance to praise the presenters for how they handled the mess of the previous evening, calling it an ‘extraordinary performance’.
Britain’s Got Talent continues next Saturday at 7pm on ITV1.
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